Chair



Aug. 1s, 1942.

A. E. JONES CHAIR Filed Nv. 1o, 1939 Patented Aug. 1s, 1942 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE CHAIR Arthur E. Jones, Elkhart, Ind., assignor to Posture Research Corporation, Elkhart, Ind., a corporation of Indiana 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in chairs and it consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The chair with which the present invention is more especially concerned is of the kind wherein a seat is carried upon a spindle that is so mounted with respect to the base as to be rotatable thereon as well as capable of being adjusted vertically to bring the seat into the desired elevated position.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a chair of this kind wherein the seat may be readily adjusted into the desired elevation with respect to the support by simple and inexpensive means.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair construction of this kind wherein the seat supporting spindle is rotatively journalled in a member which though substantially nonrotative with respect to the base, is capable of being adjusted into different elevations with respect to the base.

The above mentioned objects of the invention, as well as others, together with the advantages thereof will more fully appear as the specication proceeds.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a chair embodying the preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View on an enlarged scale, through the seat supporting portion of the chair embodying the preferred form of the invention, the plane of the section being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the chair, as taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 but on a smaller scale.

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view through a part of the chair as taken on the line 3 4 of Fig. 2, and on the scale of Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing: 5 indicates the base of the chair and 6 indicates the seat thereof and with which there is associated a back rest 'I.

The base in this particular instance is shown as comprising a plurality of arcuately spaced legs 8 of suitable shape so as to provide vertically disposed, upper and lower ends 9 and I8 respectively. The lower ends of said legs carry the usual caster wheels Il. The upper ends of said legs are held in desired grouped relation by means of vertically spaced, upper, lower and intermediate plates or spiders I2, I3 and I4 respectively.

The several plates or spiders just mentioned have aligned center holes I5 and in said holes is disposed a seat spindle receiving member I6. The member It is constituted by a length of smooth surfaced, cylindrical tubing of a diameter having a relatively snug fit in the openings I5 of the plates or spiders and whereby the said member may have a guided longitudinal movement with respect to said plates or spiders. The bottom end of said member I5 is closed by an end thrust receiving plug Il having a shallow, conical recess I8 in its upper end, the plug being held in position by an inturned shoulder I9 formed by upsetting the bottom end extremity of said member.

An annular bearing bushing 2li is conned in the upper end of said member I5 by an inturned shoulder 2l and a hole 22 is formed in one side of said member I5 just below said bearing bushing. A longitudinal slot 23 is provide-d in an-V other side of the member I6. Those portions of the member I6 defining said slot are formed with opposed recesses 24, and parts of said portions between said recesses form shoulders 25 above and below the latter.

A spring pressed plunger mechanism is mounted on the top surface of the upper plate or spider I2. Said mechanism comprises a housing 25 and a plunger 2l slidable therein, the inner end portion of said plunger being of a diameter snugly to fit in any one of the pairs of opposed recesses 2A. Said end portion of the plunger has a pilot extension 28 of a diameter approximating the width of the slot 23 between the opposed shoulders 25. The outer end of the housing 26 is closed and slidable therethrough is the stern 29 for the plunger, the stem carrying a knob 3B outside the closed end of the housing. A helical expansion spring 3l is located in the housing and surrounds that part of the stem between the plunger 2'I and the closed outer end of the housing. This spring normally urges the plunger 2'I inwardly to engage in any pair of opposed recesses 24 to hold .the member I6 in a corresponding, vertically adjusted position as well as against any turning movement in the openings I5 in the plates I2, I3 and I4 respectively,

The seat Ii is suitably mounted on a substantially centrally disposed, smooth surfaced spindle 35 of a diameter snugly tting the bore of the bushing 2B before mentioned. The bottom end of said spindle is made as an inverted cone 32 the apex of which has a thrust bearing engagement with the central portion of the recess I8 of the plug I1 in the bottom end of the member I6. Thus the spindle is journalled for a free rotation with respect to the member I5. To prevent upward displacement or withdrawal f the spindle with respect to the member i6, a screw 33 is threaded into the spindle in line with the opening 22 in the member I6. This disposes the head of said screw just under the bushing 2li so as to act as an upward stop for the spindle.

The back rest 'I is supported from the seat in any suitable manner as for instance by a pair of associated brace arms S4 at each side of the chair seat. As the back rest supporting structure forms no particular part of the present invention it need not be described in further detail herein.

It is apparent that by reason of the engagement of the spindle 35 in the member I6 as before described, the seat ii may be turned about the axis of the spindle in either direction. To adjust the seat 6 into the desired elevation, the knob 3G is grasped and pulled outwardly to retract the plunger 21 from that pair of recesses 24 in which it was engaged and this will retract the pilot 28 into that portion of the plane of the slot 23 between the shoulders 25 By lifting up the seat or back rest of the chair, the member I is raised with respect to the plates I2, I3 and I4. When in the desired elevation, the knob 3i) is released and the plunger 21 snaps inwardly to enter that pair oi recesses 24 that lines up therewith, and locks the member I in the desired adjusted position. It is pointed out at this time that when the plunger is withdrawn, the pilot 28 is disposed in the plane of that pair of the opposed recesses 24 from which the plunger 26 was withdrawn. This limits the turning movement of the member I6 to one permitted by the engagement of the wall of either opposed recess 24 with the pilot. This movement however, is so slight as to prevent any serious disarrangement or disalignment between a pair of such recesses and the plunger 2'! when its knob is released.

The structure described is easy to manipulate in making seat height adjustments and is positive in its locking of the member i6 in the adjusted position and at the same time is free of squeaks and other objectionable noises.

While in describing the invention I have referred in detail to the form, arrangement and construction of the parts involved, the same is to be considered only in the illustrative sense so that I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be specifically set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a seat supporting spindle, a tubular member receiving the lower portion of said spindle and having an inwardly eX tending annular shoulder at its top end and at its bottom end, means in said tubular member and supported upon said bottom end shoulder and engaged by the bottom end of the spindle to provide an end thrust bearing therefor, a collar in said tubular member and engaged against said top end shoulder and forming a rotative bearing for the associated part of said spindle, there being an annular space between said spindle and said tubular member, a device adapted to be passed through and beyond an opening in said tubular member and into said spindle so that a part thereof is disposed in said space and clears the internal surface of the said tubular member and. which part is capable of engagement with said collar to prevent substantial longitudinal movement between said spindle and said tubular member, a support in which said tubular member is engaged for a vertical guided movement into different elevations, and coacting means on said support and on said tubular member respectively adapted for releasably securing said tubular member in the desired elevation with respect to said support.

2. The combination of a seat supporting spindle, a tubular member enclosing the bottom portion of the spindle and having a diameter greater than that of the spindle so as to leave an annular space therebetween, a plug Xed in and closing the bottom end of said tubular member, the bottom end of said spindle and said plug being formed with coacting end surfaces providing substantially a center point thrust bearing for said bottom end of the spindle, a collar secured in the top end of said tubular member and in which a part of said spindle has a rotative bearing, there being an annular space between said spindle and the internal surface of .said tubular member, a device projecting from said spindle and disposed in said space adjacent said collar and adapted to engage the same so as to prevent the upward withdrawal of the spindle from said tubular member, a support in which said tubular member is engaged for a vertical guided movement into different elevations, and coacting means on said support and on said tubular member respectively for releasably securing said tubular member in the desired elevation with respect to said support.

ARTHUR E. JONES. 

